1 Timothy 5:14

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1 Timothy

1 Timothy 5

14 So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander.

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1 Timothy 5:14 in Other Translations

KJV

14 I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.

ESV

14 So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander.

NLT

14 So I advise these younger widows to marry again, have children, and take care of their own homes. Then the enemy will not be able to say anything against them.

MSG

14 No, I'd rather the young widows go ahead and get married in the first place, have children, manage their homes, and not give critics any foothold for finding fault.

CSB

14 Therefore, I want younger women to marry, have children, manage their households, and give the adversary no opportunity to accuse us.

1 Timothy 5:14 Meaning and Commentary

1 Timothy 5:14

I will therefore that the younger women marry
Or "the younger" widows rather; and so some copies read; for this is not the apostle's advice to young women in general, though it will suit with them, but with younger widows in particular, of whom he is speaking:

bear children;
and bring them forth, and feed, and nourish them, and bring them up in a religious way:

guide the house;
manage domestic affairs, direct, order, or do what is proper to be done for the good of the family; which is much more commendable than to throw themselves upon the church, and live an idle and wanton life, and after that marry: and so

give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully;
that is, either that Satan, the grand adversary of the saints, might have no opportunity to reproach them, and cast in their teeth their unbecoming walk, or accuse them before the throne; or that any enemy of the Christian religion might have no room nor reason to speak evilly of Christ, his Gospel, truths, and ordinances, on account of the disorderly conversation of any that profess his name; or that the (o antikeimenov) , the great opposer of Christ, the man of sin, and son of perdition, even antichrist, ( 2 Thessalonians 2:4 ) , might have no handle from hence to speak reproachfully of marriage, and forbid it, under a pretence of sanctity, as ( 1 Timothy 4:3 ) .

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

1 Timothy 5:14 In-Context

12 Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge.

13 Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also busybodies who talk nonsense, saying things they ought not to.

14 So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander.

15 Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.

16 If any woman who is a believer has widows in her care, she should continue to help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need.